Stars Holla: A love letter to the 'Gilmore Guys' podcast

A few months ago, my sister asked me if I had been listening to her new favorite podcast, Gilmore Guys. I hesitated to add another series to my already full weekly podcast schedule, but since I like both Gilmore Girls and guys, I decided to give it a shot.

Related

Fast-forward to last week, when I finally caught up with the give-or-take 107 episodes that have been released since the show’s inception in October 2014. Having finished the current available backlog of Gilmore Guys episodes, I can definitively say that thousands of years of cultural and technological advances have converged to deliver into my life the platonic ideal of a pop-culture object.

Gilmore Guys, if you aren’t familiar, is what it sounds like: a podcast in which two guys discuss The WB’s (and eventually The CW’s) seven-season run of Gilmore Guys, a series about single mom Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her close relationship with her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel). The show’s fan base has long lauded the series for its quirky characters, nuanced storytelling, dense pop-culture references, and lightning-quick dialogue.

Of course, if you aren’t familiar with Gilmore Girls, you should stop reading this and go watch. It’s on Netflix. I’ll wait.

The podcast’s origin story is this: When Gilmore Girls was released on Netflix in the fall of 2014, Kevin T. Porter, notable for his clever supercuts of Aaron Sorkin dialogue, half-jokingly tweeted:

Wanna start a podcast where we go through every episode of Gilmore Girls called Gilmore Guys. Who wants to co-host / be a guest?

Lucky for us all, Demi Adejuyigbe, a digital producer for @Midnight, rose to the occasion, and thus a friendship and a podcast were born.

The podcast’s hook is that Kevin, a long time Gilly (what the guys have dubbed Gilmore Girls fans) and Demi, who has never watched the show, make their way through all seven seasons of the series on Netflix, discussing one episode per podcast. Anyone who has ever experienced the pleasure of rewatching an old favorite through a new fan’s eyes can appreciate the joy of listening to Demi’s first impressions, thoughts, and predictions—and anticipating his reaction to pivotal events and favorite characters.

You can sense Demi and Kevin’s low expectations for the fate of their project in the pilot episode, but the podcast has since found a sizable audience; been added to HeadGum’s podcast network; sold out live shows on both coasts; had the opportunity to interview actors, writers, producers, and casting directors; and managed to score an invitation to the Gilmore Girls reunion afterparty at the ATX Television Festival.

The hosts have also introduced a series of delightful bits, including “Pop Goes the Culture,” in which they cut together every pop-culture reference from the episode, and “The Fashion Report,” in which they talk about, well, fashion. My favorite moments, however, are the brilliant parody songs the guys perform before every live show. I recently choked up listening to a fan perform an incredibly sweet take on Don McLean’s “American Pie” before a podcast taping at the UCB Theatre in Los Angeles.

This podcast about fandom has attracted an active and creative online fandom of its own—a phenomenon not unique to Gilmore Guys. The growing availability of television series on streaming services and the growing popularity of podcasting have converged to ignite an explosion of nostalgia-soaked television-recap podcasts, including The X-Files Files, Everything’s Coming Up Podcast!, and Best of Friends.

What’s unique about Gilmore Guys is that the podcast often speaks to the gendered nature of fandom. While masculine fandoms tend to be taken seriously by our culture (think sports, geek culture, rock music), feminine fandoms tend to be mocked for being silly and unimportant (think Twilight, boy bands, and soap operas). Kevin and Demi address this tendency, often discussing the ways in which the series was ignored by awards committees, critics, and male audiences simply because the series starred two women and aired on The WB. Guests of the podcast also frequently admit that they had unfairly once assumed Gilmore Girls was just an evening soap opera for teenage girls.

For over a decade, television critics have heaped praise on shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and The Sopranos for being complex, serialized dramas featuring male antiheroes, while rarely inviting female-led shows into the hallowed gates of quality television-dom. Having watched many of the shows I love relegated to second-class status, it has been incredibly satisfying to hear Kevin, Demi, and their thoughtful guests delve into the complexities of Gilmore Girls at length—even if all of us fans have long taken Amy Sherman-Palladino’s creation seriously.

Of course, at the end of the day, Gilmore Guys is such a delightful podcast because its hosts are two delightful guys. Demi and Kevin exude a comfortable, laid-back kind of chemistry that reminds you of hanging out with a couple of your funniest friends. The two are also a refreshingly, dare I say, feminist comic duo. While they obviously adore the series, they don’t hesitate to discuss moments when the show slides uncomfortably toward racism, homophobia, body-shaming, or slut-shaming. They call out Jess and Dean for treating Rory badly. They appreciate Paris and Emily for being the fearless, complicated women they are. They discuss fashion on the show without ever objectifying the female characters.

These are a couple of dudes who not only take Gilmore Girls seriously; they also take women seriously. And that’s something I could listen to all day long.

Expression Of JoyThe Brady Bunch: Groovy! The Bradys: Ritual hugging Married…With Children: ”Oh, great.” Thirtysomething: ”Of course I’m happy for you. Really. But what about me? Why does it always have to be about you? The Flintstones: ”Yabba-dabba doo

Expression Of Rage

The Brady Bunch: ”Hmmm…” The Bradys: ”If you back away from something you really want, then you’re a quitter!” (the angriest any Brady has ever been) Married…With Children: ”Aaagh, God, take me from this miserable life!” Thirtysomething: ”I’m not angry, OK?” The Flintstones: ”Willllmaaaa!”

Typical ProblemThe Brady Bunch: Marcia and her rival both want to be the prom queen. The Bradys: Bobby gets paralyzed. Married…With Children: Al doesn’t buy his family Christmas presents. Thirtysomething: Nancy gets cancer. The Flintstones: Fred and Barney are staying out too late.

Typical SolutionThe Brady Bunch: The prom committee decides to have two queens. The Bradys: Bobby gets married. Married…With Children: They hate him. Thirtysomething: If only we knew… The Flintstones: Wilma and Betty decide to follow them.

Attitude Toward SexThe Brady Bunch: Never heard of it The Bradys: Omigod — even Cindy does it! Married…With Children: Peg: Yes. Al: No. Thirtysomething: They didn’t get all those kids by accident. The Flintstones: Prehistoric

How Spouses FightThe Brady Bunch: They don’t. The Bradys: Infrequently, but it happens Married…With Children: Tooth and nail Thirtysomething: They stop talking The Flintstones: Fred and Barney go bowling while Wilma and Betty max out their charge cards.

How Kids Get Into TroubleThe Brady Bunch: Greg takes a puff of a cigarette. The Bradys: Carol’s grandson steals her business cards and sticks them in the spokes of Bobby’s wheelchair. Married…With Children: By committing felonies Thirtysomething: Ethan plays with a forbidden toy rocket. The Flintstones: They don’t.

How They’re Punished

The Brady Bunch: ”It’s not what you did, honey — it’s that you couldn’t come to us.” The Bradys ”Next time, ask.” Married…With Children: By the authorities Thirtysomething: It blows up in his face. The Flintstones: They’re not.

What Family Does For FunThe Brady Bunch: Takes special three-part vacations to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon The Bradys: Has flashbacks Married…With Children: Exchanges insults Thirtysomething: Talks The Flintstones: Attends showings of The Monster at the Bedrock Drive-In

Unsolved MysteriesThe Brady Bunch: How exactly did Carol’s first husband and Mike’s first wife die? The Bradys: What’s with Marcia’s new face and Bobby’s blonde hair Married…With Children: What kind of hair spray does Peg use? Thirtysomething: Why did Nancy take Elliot back? What do Gary and Susanna see in each other? The Flintstones: How does Barney’s shirt stay on if he has no shoulders? Where do Fred and Wilma plug in their TV?

Worst BehaviorThe Brady Bunch: The Brady children once made Alice feel under-appreciated.

Best Reason To WatchThe Brady Bunch: This is what life should be. The Bradys: They’re all grown-ups now! Married…With Children: Terry Rakolta hates it. Thirtysomething (Tie) This is your life. This isn’t your life. The Flintstones: This is what life might have been.

Best Reason Not To WatchThe Brady Bunch: Blurred vision from rerun overdoses. The Bradys: You’re all grown-ups now. Married…With Children: She has a point. Thirtysomething: After a while, you think it’s real. The Flintstones: The Simpsons